Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I'm not surprised that Bandai's new 20 inch tall fully remote controlled Mecha Godzilla sold out instantly. This thing is a beauty. You can make it walk, spin its head and hands, move its arms, open and close its mouth, and activate flashing lights in its eyes, fingertips, mouth and chest! Watch the video above. Unfortunately, it lacks the ability to shoot laser beams from its mouth but I'm pretty sure no Godzilla fanboy is complaining.

Monday, June 29, 2009

If you're looking to buy a gift for a friend who loves the Transformers, then look no further than these Transformers inspired cufflinks. The silver plated cufflinks are engraved with the image of the Decepticon/Autobot insignia. Freaking awesome! And I guarantee that your friend will love you forever for these.

The best birthday cake ever! Some lucky boy got this alien autopsy birthday cake complete with green alien blood and internal organs for his birthday. Check out the look on the faces of the kids at his birthday party here. Priceless!

The Star Trek Communicator keychain is a replica of the actual Communicator used in the Star Trek TV series. Comes with 8 sound clips from the original crew including “Kirk to Enterprise” and “He’s dead Jim”.

Probably one of the best Transformers toys ever! This all-white Optimus Prime stands 6" tall in robot mode but it's all music to your ears when he transforms into a truck that doubles up as a speaker system that docks with your iPod!

Fans of old school Batman will love this kooky 1966 Batman card game by Whitman Publishing and National Periodical Publications. The card game was based on the original Batman TV show and features drawings of Batman, Robin and other characters.

In 1992, Michael Jackson patented a method for creating anti-gravity illusion. The system consists of a special shoe that has a hitch designed to attach to a projection in a stage. When the shoe engages with the component in the stage, the performer can lean forward beyond his center of gravity. Ah, so that's how he did those moves on stage.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Meet 4 year old Charmaine. She has been diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, a debilitating cancer that occurs in children and has been given a 10% chance of survival by her doctors in Singapore.

Watch this video of Charmaine in NUH for her 4th chemo session. She's a brave and cute girl!

There's a new trial drug (3F8) available in the United States that has been known to dramatically increase survival rates by up to five times. The drug is being administered at New York's Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Centre, considered the world’s premier center for treating children with neuroblastoma. With this treatment, Charmaine could have a 50% chance to live, but it comes with a hefty S$500,000 price tag!

To help pay for her medical fees, local football legends Rafi Ali, Fandi Ahmad, Abbas Saad, Malek Awab and more, will come together once again tomorrow, Sunday, 28 June 2009, to host a charity game featuring a Media & All-Stars team against the former ‘Dream Team’. Details below.

Other organizations have also been forthcoming with donations and fundraising initiatives. Tampines Rovers Football Club, for example, has kindly offered its stadium grounds as a venue for the charity match, and has volunteered to handle ticketing matters. Staff and management of ladies’ spa Subtle Senses have also come forward as volunteers to collect donations at the charity event that will go towards Charmaine’s medical fund. Subtle Senses will further support the cause by giving away vouchers to every donor to redeem for a complimentary spa treatment. Other organizations that have come forward to help include Coca-Cola, Bengawan Solo and many more.

The game will be hosted by MediaCorp actor Oli Pettigrew and Paul Foster from the drama series Red Thread. Also attending is the Minister for National Development and MP for Tampines GRC Mr Mah Bow Tan. Charmaine and her family are expected to attend the event.

Friday, June 26, 2009

I cannot believe he's gone. Michael Jackson has died after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home. I'm shocked and very, very sad. Michael was my idol when I was growing up. I listened to his songs, watched all his videos and danced all his moves. I even mastered his Moonwalking and crotch grabbing.

It was only last night when I listened to my all time favourite Michael Jackson song before I went to sleep. One Day in Your Life was recorded by Michael for his 1975 album, Forever, Michael. It was a song very close to my heart. It was Michael's favourite song too. So here it is again, a young Michael singing One Day in Your Life. Watch the video above and listen carefully to the lyrics. I will remember you Michael and thanks for the songs and memories.

I think I need a new office chair. This one made from the ejection seat of an F-4 Phantom - one of my favourite military aircrafts - looks just perfect for me. Will send the link to my boss and hope that he buys me one.

I'm trying to look for more scans of this crazy Japanese comic featuring everybody's favourite alien, E.T.! Don't think Steven Spielberg would like it much but there's a part of me that wants to see more of E.T. getting punched on its face.

If there's one live action movie featuring giant robots that I would like to watch besides Transformers, it has to be Gundam. Someone should make a movie out of the popular anime series but please give this Pink Gundam a miss. I actually love it but I think it is way too pretty to be fighting a war.

Play four different bongo sounds with the Electronic Bongo Drum T-Shirt! It is a touch sensitive drum t-shirt with built-in speaker. Just touch the four drums on the t-shirt and impress your friends with your bongo playing abilities.

Frederick's of Hollywood is a well known retailer of lingerie in the United States, with stores in many modern shopping malls across the USA. Here's its 1964 catalog "Get that marry-a-millionaire look".

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

They are back! Those giant effing robots are here again. That's right. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen is finally out in the cinemas. The movie opened yesterday here in Singapore but I was able to catch it on Monday at its Gala Premiere held at Cathay Cineplex.

Ok. Here's something you should know. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen does not suck. Really! Don't listen to those bloody film critics. In fact, there were plenty of cheers and claps at the Gala Premiere. And me, well I was probably the noisiest. So noisy that I was surprised nobody tried to kick me out of the cinema. And yes, I did shout "I love you Michael Bay" at the end.

So what's Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen all about? It takes place two years after the events in the first Transformers movie. Autobots are now working with the US military to wipe out the remaining Decepticons on Earth. Megatron gets a second chance at life, flies out of the sea where he was dead for the past 2 years to somewhere in outer space. He meets Starscream and The Fallen, who surprise, surprise is Megatron's master. The Fallen is one of the original Primes who betrayed his fellow robot brothers millions of years ago. The Fallen wants Optimus Prime dead so he gets the Decepticons to kill him. Yes, Optimus Prime dies! But Prime being Prime cannot stay dead forever so he returns towards the later part of the movie after being revived to give both Megatron and The Fallen a major ass whopping and save Earth in the process. The end.

So do I really like Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen? You bet! It's one hell of an entertaining movie from start to the end with lots of action packed into the 2 1/2 hours long film. The first Transformers movie was superb and this sequel is just as good. The Transformers and their transformation scenes are exhilarating to watch and so are all their fight scenes especially the one where Optimus was fatally wounded.

There are plenty of Transformers in the film and fans of Autobots and Decepticons should be satisfied. I thought the Constructicons were amazing. They looked menacing even in their vehicle mode. And when they transformed and combined into the giant Devastator, I was like WOW. That thing is scary! Both Megatron and Starscream got lots more screen time together which is great to watch.

Autobots being Autobots are pussies just like in the first film but in Revenge of The Fallen, Optimus Prime really stood out and showed us what a kick-ass Autobot he really is. Bumblebee is super cool but Optimus, he's someone I would want on my side when I face evil robots. Hear that, Optimus?

The humans in Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen are enjoyable to watch too. Shia LaBeouf once more did well in his role as Sam. This guy is really destined for big things. Sam's parents are funny as usual but his mum was just way too irritating in this movie. I was hoping Optimus or some other Transformer would just step on her. I give full marks to John Turturro who plays the Sector 7 agent. Yes, he makes a return in the sequel and shines. And what about Megan Fox? Well, pictures tell a thousand words so here's one.

Aren't those beautiful? I meant she! Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen gets a 8 out of 10 from me and yes, I'm a fanboy.

Now, bring on the third, hopefully with more Transformers, Unicron, Hotrod/Rodimus Prime and more Megan Fox!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I bought these made in China mini Transformers toys from the shop at Mint Museum. Each costs only S$1 so I grabbed 10 of them - 5 Autobots and 5 Decepticons. The Autobots pictured above. You can easily spot Optimus Prime there.

Here are the Decepticons. Anyone familiar? The leader looks like Megatron or Starscream or maybe a hybrid of both.

The toys are pretty easy to transform as you can tell from this video above. The parts are a little flimsy and some of the toys can't stand properly when they are in their robot modes - either they are front heavy or back heavy. Oh well, I guess one can't expect too much from a $1 Transformers toy. I'm just happy that these rip-offs can still transform. More pics here.

Jozaeh doesn't want to have just another iPod so he makes one out of wood! His finished wooden iPod mini is handmade from Australian red cedar and Camphor Laurel which was used to make the clickwheel. He also uses brass plates, brass screws and the guts from his first iPod.

In the first Star Wars movie, Luke, Han Solo, Chewie and Leia were all trapped in a trash compactor, desperately trying to prevent themselves from being squeezed into pancakes. Now you can relive that scene thanks to these Star Wars Trash Compactor Bookends.

Can't Afford Em Crafts is selling clocks made from old Atari game cartridges like this Donkey Kong one. He says, "I tore out the inside areas of the cartridge and replaced them with clock movements. Then I mounted the cartridge onto a black stand, so it fits perfectly on the corner of the desk."

Found on Amazon is this one of a kind colouring book. I'm at a lost for words so let me just grab one comment from a buyer that describes the book best: "Who said crayons are for kids?!! This wonderful book will bring out the artist in everyone. Great adult entertainment. You are guaranteed to be the star of any occasion with this unique gift."

Lucky dude from the audience gets to come up to the stage and play a giant, Space Invaders game at Video Games Live Singapore 2009. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and it was first released in 1978. Instead of using a joystick to control the movements of the laser cannon, he has to physically run to the left and right. Watch the video above.

Unfortunately, he did not manage to shoot down all the aliens in the game despite all the encouragement from the audience. It's a pity because he could have won the prize which is an awesome home gaming console with hundreds of classic video games in it.

Video Games Live, the biggest and most popular video game concert in the world debuted in Singapore last Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Featuring music by the Singapore NUS Symphony Orchestra and NUS Choir and visuals projected into giant video screens, VGL featured the most popular video games from past to present, including Classic Arcade favourites, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Guitar Hero, Metal Gear Solid, Sonic, Space Invaders, Diablo, TRON, The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, Mario, WarCraft and many more. You can watch the first segment of VGL (the Classic Arcade Medley) above.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

If you have really poor eyesight, please don't attempt to rob a bank, but if you do, then make sure that it isn't a sperm bank. Watch the video above. And please don't drink anything that looks like yoghurt.

The USB Crunching Rocky III is not a USB Memory drive but once plugged into your computer, it will continuously do a series of sit-ups, hoping that it will inspire you to keep in shape. Oh, there's a Mr T version too.

Asian Poses has just become one of my favourite blogs. It documents all the quirky and cute poses that Asians are notorious for. This cute and easy to do pose is called the Salute. To do it, choose your favourite eyebrow, take your hand and put it on the chosen eyebrow, do a two finger salute and don't forget to act cute.

Over 2,000 people took part in the Sixth Annual Mp3 Experiment. The organisers put an MP3 online and participants download and transfer it to their iPods. Everyone then synchronizes their watches and heads out to the same public location. At the predetermined time, everyone presses play.

Dude got this awesome Back To The Future cake for his wedding. The cake is a recreation of the scene in Back To The Future where the DeLorean is driving towards cables that connected the clock tower's antenna to two lamp posts, hoping to catch a lighting bolt to send it back to the future.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Yahoo invited several bloggers as part of their Blogger Outreach Program to CommunicAsia 2009 on Wednesday. There, we were given a presentation of the new Yahoo mobile, an open and highly personalized mobile starting point to the Internet.

Yahoo Mobile for the web is now available across more than 400 devices with HTML enabled mobile browsers. Yahoo also announced that the Yahoo Mobile iPhone app is now available in the Apple iPhone App Store.

With Yahoo Mobile, you can get the most current, relevant answers you need thanks to Yahoo oneSearch and read the most interesting stories buzzing on the Internet right now as selected by Yahoo's editorial team.

You can also use Yahoo Mobile to access your Yahoo Mail and other popular email services, connect to social networks thanks to Social Pulse, chat with your friends via the Yahoo Messenger and manage your favourite content such as blogs, websites, news, etc.

Here's Yahoo's Adam Taggart (video above) talking to the bloggers about some of the cool features of Yahoo Mobile.

After the blogger event, we then headed to Yahoo's booth and were treated to their Yahoo Purple Freeze which tasted like er, Ribena. I love Ribena but I still prefer the Yahoo Ice Cream that they gave out at last year's CommunicAsia.

Here's a video of the crowd queueing for the Yahoo Purple Freeze - lots of thirsty people there - and some photos taken at the Yahoo booth.

As promised here are some pages from Freedom Formula: Ghost of The Wasteland (Part 1 of 5), the comic written by Edmund Shern, CEO of local comic publisher Storm Lion. I featured Storm Lion on this blog yesterday. Freedom Formula will be produced into a Hollywood movie sometime soon.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

I promised all of you that I will post more videos taken at the LG Bloggers Event at CommunicAsia 2009. Here they are. One is a clip of LG showing their latest TVC (video above) which is really cute and the other is a clip of the bloggers trying out the LG GM730 (video below). I can't wait to get one from LG.

Oh, and my favourite part of this video is when Sabrina tells Pris: "I'm taking a picture of you, taking a picture of you." Classic!

If you're heading to CommunicAsia tomorrow, don't forget to drop by at CG Overdrive 2009 and check out the guys from Storm Lion, a local comic book publisher. Storm Lion's comic book Freedom Formula written by Edmund, its CEO, has been sold to Hollywood to be made into a live action feature film with Brian Singer producing! What an amazing achievement! I had the opportunity to talk to both Edmund and Gavin (formerly from Yahoo, remember him?) about their exciting business. Watch the video above. I will post a page or two from Freedom Formula tomorrow so watch out for that.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Yesterday, I was invited to LG's press conference at CommunicAsia where they introduced their latest innovative handsets. The phones at center stage for LG this year all include the company’s innovative new 3D S-Class User Interface. They are the LG-GM730 smartphone, the world’s first transparent LG-GD900 Crystal (see my previous post for pics and video) and the full touchscreen 8 megapixel Viewty Smart (LG-GC900) camera phone.

Watch the video above for a short introduction of the LG Crystal and some of its exciting new features.

And here's a video demo of the LG-GM730, LG’s new flagship smartphone, which is the result of a strategic partnership with Microsoft. The combination of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 with LG’s S-Class User Interface provides easier access to the powerful smartphone’s myriad features including easy to use e-mail and organization tools.

After the press conference, the specially invited group of bloggers were brought to the awesome LG booth to check out their phones and other products up close.

The LG-GM730.

One of the many babelicious LG girls at the booth posing with the LG Crystal.

After the tour of the LG booth, we then headed to a special LG bloggers event where we were given a more in-depth presentation of the new phones and the LG app store.

There we received the good news that each of us will receive the LG-GM730 real soon!

And as you can tell from this group photo taken at the end of the bloggers event, all of us looked so very happy. Thanks LG! You can view more photos taken at LG's booth at CommunicAsia, the press conference and the LG bloggers event here. I have more videos that I will upload tomorrow.

LG is showing off its new mobile phones at CommunicAsia. One of them is the beautiful LG GD900 Crystal. The revolutionary phone has a stunning scratch-resistant drop-down transparent Cystal Touchpad. Other features include Mouse Mode, Gesture Shortcut, S-Class UI, Multi-Finger Touch, 3" WGA, 8MP Camera and WiFi accessibility. Mouse Mode allows the Crystal Touchpad to become a fully functional touch key pad like a mouse pad found on laptop computers. Gesture Shortcut makes running applications more quickly and easily. Layers of menu browsing is gone with just simple finger gesture on the Crystal Touchpad. More pics and a video of the LG Crystal below.

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I.Z. Reloaded covers news, pop culture, blogs, websites, gadgets, the fascinating and the weird from a Singapore perspective. The blog is a runner up in both the 2006 Weblog Awards (Best Asia Blog) and the 2004 Asia Blog Awards (Best Singapore Blog) and it is also the first Singapore blog to be syndicated by Newstex. I.Z. is the Executive Producer and Creative Director at branded content studio R3LOAD Network. He is the creator of hit show Singapore Haunted. Previously a Producer at Klik.TV and has served as the Brand Ambassador for Comboutique Asia, Blog Ambassador for Advertlets and Brand Ambassador for San Street. Send him stories, invites, sponsorships at izreloaded[at]gmail[dot]com.